India Women Exit Asian Games 2026 After Japan Quarterfinal Loss

India’s women’s badminton team bowed out of the Asian Games 2026 after Japan claimed a 3-1 quarterfinal victory on Tuesday. The Indian side was kept in contention by the World Championships bronze-winning doubles partnership of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, but defeats in all three singles ties ended its campaign.

PV Sindhu opened the tie with a three-game loss to world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi, while Unnati Hooda was beaten by world No. 7 Tomoka Miyazaki. Treesa and Gayatri responded with a straight-games doubles victory over Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto, reducing the deficit to 2-1, before Tanvi Sharma lost to former world champion Nozomi Okuhara as Japan completed the result.

Sindhu starts strongly before Yamaguchi turns the tie

Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu made a fighting start against Yamaguchi in the opening singles match. She recovered from a 13-17 deficit in the first game and eventually took it 23-21 to give India the early initiative in the quarterfinal.

The contest between the two former world champions featured extended rallies, which averaged 35-36 shots. Sindhu had a game point in the opener, but a wrong judgement at the back line allowed Yamaguchi to come back into the game. The Indian earned another opportunity when Yamaguchi found the net and converted it with a cross-court forehand winner.

Yamaguchi, however, held a two-point advantage at the mid-game interval of the second game. Sindhu attempted another recovery after falling 12-17 behind, but the Japanese player held on to level the match by taking the game 21-18.

The decider moved decisively in Yamaguchi’s favour. Sindhu slipped 6-14 behind, and Yamaguchi later earned 10 match points before sealing a 23-21, 21-18, 21-6 victory with a precise return.

Japan extended its lead in the second singles tie, where Hooda was unable to find a way past Miyazaki, the 2022 world junior champion. Miyazaki won 21-16, 21-18, putting Japan 2-0 ahead and leaving India needing victories in the remaining two matches.

Treesa and Gayatri keep India alive, but Japan closes out tie

Treesa and Gayatri delivered India’s only point in the first doubles match. The pair, who recently won their maiden bronze medal at the New Delhi World Championships, produced a clinical performance against Fukushima and Matsumoto to win 21-17, 21-16.

That result brought India back into the quarterfinal at 2-1 and ensured the tie went to the third singles match. Sharma, however, was beaten 21-12, 21-10 by Okuhara, allowing Japan to secure the 3-1 win.

The result means India’s women’s team exits at the quarterfinal stage. Their campaign included a notable contribution from Treesa and Gayatri, whose straight-games win prevented a sweep, but Japan’s three singles victories proved decisive in the team tie.